Oncologists Urged to Discuss Fertility With Patients, as ASCO Updates Guidelines
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
Release Date: 04/17/2025
What Does the Biggest News in Breast Cancer From ASCO 2025 Mean for Practice Right Now?
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
Data from the SERENA-6 trial, presented at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, have the potential to dramatically change advanced estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer care, says William J Gradishar, MD, the Betsy Bramsen Professor of Breast Oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. The study showed benefit in switching therapies based on circulating tumor DNA evidence of ESR1 mutation, ahead of disease progression. “If we find that the magnitude of benefit seems to be as meaningful as it’s been reported to...
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Practice-Changing “Inflection Point” Coming in ESR1-Positive Breast Cancer Care?
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
Editor’s Note: This interview was recorded shortly before the . Big questions associated with ESR1 mutations in patients with hormone receptor–positive breast cancer may soon have answers. New data are “going to take the whole breast oncology field from one place and put it in a different place. It’s going to be an inflection point in our history of treating breast cancer,” says , assistant professor in the Department of Breast Medical at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Speaking with , the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles and Steven...
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When ESR1 Mutations Arise in Breast Cancer Patients With PIK3CA Mutations: What Next?
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
The approach to ESR1 and PIK3CA mutations in patients with hormone receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer continues to evolve. What role does circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) play in treatment decisions? How should oncologists best approach patients with PIK3CA mutations who subsequently develop ESR1 mutations? , professor and director of medical oncology and deputy director of the University of Illinois Cancer Center in Chicago, discusses with , the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology, how recent data are...
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How “Remarkable Change” in EGFR-Mutated NSCLC Care Is Making a Difference for Patients
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
The last few years have seen “a remarkable change in both our approach and management of EGFR lung cancer,” says , division head for hematology/oncology and associate director of Patient Experience and Clinical Care at the Henry Ford Cancer Institute in Detroit. He discusses key considerations for managing EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer with , the interim director and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Gadgeel describes considerations for leptomeningeal metastases, important treatment toxicities, and exciting...
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Oncologists Urged to Discuss Fertility With Patients, as ASCO Updates Guidelines
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
When it comes to tackling fertility issues associated with cancer, “oncology clinicians are often reluctant to talk about this because it is really not our wheelhouse,” says , chief of the Division of Hematology Oncology, director of Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation, and the C. Willard Robinson Professor of Hematology-Oncology at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia. Dr. Loren and colleagues recently for fertility preservation in people with cancer. She discusses the key changes with Robert Figlin, MD, interim director at Cedars Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles and the Steven Spielberg...
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“Second-Line ER-Positive Breast Cancer Has Just Become Very Complicated”
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
“Second-line [estrogen receptor (ER)]-positive breast cancer has just become very complicated,” says , the director of breast cancer and gynecologic cancer research at Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville. She discusses the role of ESR1 mutations in selecting appropriate treatments and combination regimens for patients with ER-positive breast cancer who have disease progression with , the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles, and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology. From when and how best to assess for ESR1 mutations to which trials inform current...
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Will Generational Divide Among Oncologists Affect How AI Changes Cancer Care?
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
Burnout among oncologists is a , and artificial intelligence (AI) represents a potential solution, says , a practicing oncologist and breast cancer specialist in Austin, Texas, who also serves as the chair of the AI task force for the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Technological advances are poised to improve cancer care while reducing the documentation burden for oncologists, she tells , the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles, and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology. Dr. Patt describes the various practical ways in which AI is already...
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“Time to Move On”: How Targeted Therapies Are Transforming AML Care
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
The standard approach of “7 + 3” chemotherapy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatment has been in place for 50 years. But that may soon change, says , a member of the Adult Leukemia Group at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and a member of the faculty at Harvard University. “My prediction is that in 10 years, you will not see much 7 + 3 anymore. Maybe not even 10 years, maybe five years,” he tells , the interim director and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Stahl describes how targeted therapies such...
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ASCO President Speaks Out on “Huge Problem” of Oncologist Burnout
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
Oncologist burnout and career dissatisfaction are a “huge problem,” says Robin T. Zon, MD, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Dr. Zon sits down with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, to discuss revelations from a recent ASCO report. “ASCO recognizes that if, in fact, we are going to accomplish our mission, we have to pay very close attention to what is happening to the workforce and the burnout that is associated with that,” Dr. Zon explains. She shares insights...
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Oncologists Overtreat Patients at End of Life
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
When it comes to end-of-life care for patients with cancer, “I think that there is a real deficit in our training,” says Nathan I. Cherny, MD, director of the Cancer Pain and Palliative Medicine Service at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel. Dr. Cherney and colleagues recently examined factors contributing to oncologists overtreating patients at the end of life. He discusses key findings and ways to address this continued problem with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. “When one...
info_outlineWhen it comes to tackling fertility issues associated with cancer, “oncology clinicians are often reluctant to talk about this because it is really not our wheelhouse,” says Alison Wakoff Loren, MD, MSCE, chief of the Division of Hematology Oncology, director of Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation, and the C. Willard Robinson Professor of Hematology-Oncology at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia. Dr. Loren and colleagues recently updated American Society of Clinical Oncology guidelines for fertility preservation in people with cancer. She discusses the key changes with Robert Figlin, MD, interim director at Cedars Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles and the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology. “This is a really important topic that I think sometimes gets lost in the shuffle of the hecticness of a young person’s cancer diagnosis,” Dr. Loren explains. Increased awareness among oncologists is a crucial step that can lead to faster referrals and interventions, she says. “You better be ready for the conversation,” she urges.
Dr. Loren reported research funding from Equillium (Inst).
Dr. Figlin reported various financial relationships.